Akiba Rubinstein

Inducted 2019 1882 - 1961

Belgium

Poland

Biography

Akiba (or Akiva) Rubinstein, along with Paul Keres and Viktor Korchnoi, is considered one of the strongest players never to become world champion, despite learning the game at the late age of 16. Born in what is today eastern Poland, he was one of the four strongest players in the world from 1907 to 1922, and for a short time in 1912, might have been number one. That year Rubinstein won four major events (San Sebastian, Vilnius, Breslau, and Piestany) and a match for the World Chess Championship with Emanuel Lasker seemed inevitable, but fate and World War I decided otherwise. Rubinstein is still remembered today for his contributions to opening theory and rook and pawn endgames.

Notable Games

Akiba Rubinstein vs. Richard Teichmann

Dover Publications, Inc. | Rubinstein’s Chess Masterpieces/100 Selected Games (1960) | Paperback book | Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame

Photograph of players and officials during an excursion on the Steamship Deutschland, Hamburg, Germany 1930 (July 15, 1930) | Black and white photograph | Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame, gift of Richard Kashdan